


broken hearts club

by luckysam78



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gnash, Heartbreak, Pining, Reader-Insert, Songfic, Spider-Man: Homecoming Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-07 02:20:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18863770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luckysam78/pseuds/luckysam78
Summary: it’s hard to love somebody who’ll never love you back(based on the broken hearts club song by gnash)





	1. Chapter 1

“Do you think she’ll tell all her friends if I asked her out?” Peter fretted as you walked down the hall with him. You rolled your eyes as he brought up Liz gain for the hundredth time this morning. The homecoming dance was approaching and asking Liz to the dance was constantly on Peter’s mind. You knew that Liz was super popular, even if her dad turned out to be the Vulture, and that Peter had a slim chance of going to the dance with her but a slim chance was enough to spark a bonfire of hope in his heart.

“So what if she does? It’s not like any of them are going to do anything about it if she tells them. If any of those brats try to make fun of you, I’ll break their face,” You waved at Ned from across the cafeteria as you took your seat at the normal lunch table. Peter sat down next to you and began picking at his lunch with a fork, the way he usually did when he was overthinking.

“You could never break anybody’s face; you’re too nice for that,” Peter chuckled as he stared down at his lunch. There were way too many instances where you wished you could read his mind to see what he was thinking whenever he stared at an object with that unreadable look.

“Y/N breaking somebody’s face? What did I miss? Oh, also Liz just sat down with her friends at their usual table,” Ned nodded at you as a greeting and performed his and Peter’s complicated handshake before taking a seat across from the both of you. Peter turned to stare at Liz with wide, attentive eyes and Ned stifled a laugh when you scrunched up your face with mock disgust at Peter’s love eyes.

To be honest, you were glad Peter was oblivious that you despised Liz, not because Liz was a bad person, but because she was his long-lasting love interest. You’ve had a crush on him since forever but you never told him that. You had been best friends with Peter ever since kindergarten and made your matching friendship bracelets ever and it wasn’t until 7th grade when Ned joined in, claiming he was the missing Jonas brother. You and Peter used to jokingly refer to each other as husband and wife until high school when he fell head over heels for Liz. It took some time to get used to hearing him talk about another girl so passionately but you eventually adjusted to it, just as you did with him being Spider-man.

“Hey, do you have your Spider-boy duties later today?” You bit your lip and held back your jealousy as he watched Liz flip her hair over her shoulder.

“Keep it down, will you? And yeah, I do but we can still study today and tomorrow,” Peter replied, taking a bite out of his lunch before staring at Liz with those puppy eyes again, leaving you feeling empty-hearted as usual.

~

“So, do you think you could really help me out with- oh!” You exclaimed in surprise as Peter greeted you with a hug. He seemed a lot more cheerful than usual and you smiled when he pulled away, showing the giant grin on his face.

“Guess what? I asked Liz out to the dance! And she said yes! It was really awkward because I was still in my P.E clothes but she said yes! And she was completely serious about it! It wasn’t a prank or anything!” The classic record scratching to a stop played in your brain as your heart dropped past the bottom of your stomach, falling through the Earth and into hell. You pushed back your tears and produced a convincing smile as he hugged you again, squealing like an eccentric toddler.

“Oh wow, I’m really happy for you! Uh, oh shoot, I have a dental appointment today! It completely slipped from my mind! Sorry, um, I have to go,” You stumbled over your words as you pulled away, grabbing your backpack and turning your back to him so he wouldn’t see your crestfallen expression.

“Okay! Text me later!” Peter called as you closed the door behind you, hurriedly wiping away your tears as you rushed to the elevator. You didn’t have an appointment, you just really needed some time to think. There was no better place for just that than your bedroom and you sat on your bed, plucking out miserable chords and notes on your ukulele. Music helped you feel a bit better but there were still hands pushing needles into your ribs from inside your body when Peter texted you, “Can you drive Liz and I to the homecoming dance? How was your dental appointment?”

You kept your act together for the rest of the few weeks leading up to homecoming. Forcing aside your giant crush on Peter, you played the role of his best friend and helped him with choosing a suit. You taught him how to tie a tie properly and showed him how to dance. The pain of watching him be so excited to be going to the dance with somebody else hurt but seeing him happy was worth every single tear you brushed to the side to help him. Ned noticed your faked smiles more than Peter did and asked you about your wellness a couple of times but you made it clear that you didn’t want to talk about it.

Everybody thought Ned was stupid but he was actually extremely smart. He read you better than Peter did sometimes and was the first and only person who was able to tell your hidden crush on your best friend. It was impossible to know how he could tell when you wished that it was you that Peter was staring at.

Peter didn’t let him planning how to impress Liz at homecoming ruin your friendship that much; you still had your Friday movie nights with him, except you sat a little farther from him on his couch. You both still hung out together at school, except you grew more defensive whenever somebody claimed you two were in love. And sure, you should’ve just tried to drop your crush on Peter the moment when he told you he asked Liz to homecoming to save your friendship, but it was too hard to let go.

Even though nobody asked you out to the dance, you still decided to go as a supportive friend. Ned decided to come along too, to keep you company of course, but you suspected that he agreed to accompany you because he heard rumors that Jayne had a crush on him and was planning to ask him to dance.

When it was finally the night of homecoming, you made sure to mentally and physically prepare yourself for the evening the moment you arrived back at your house. Styling your hair and adding a dash of makeup were the side dishes but the main course was your dress. You chose a light violet dress with white flowers adorning the hem of the skirt and the white wedges you found at the bottom of your closet matched the outfit perfectly. Another piece of the meal was the silver bracelet you wore and it was placed next to the friendship bracelet Peter made you.

Peter was completely blown away by your looks when you arrived at his apartment to pick him up. He stood in place for a solid ten seconds with his mouth wide open, staring at your outfit, from head to toe.

“Wow, Y/N. You really, wow- uh, you look really good,” Peter’s blush spread to the tips of his ears and you grinned at his compliment. Your intention surely wasn’t to steal the spotlight from Liz but hey, if that was what was going to happen tonight, you wouldn’t mind.

“Thanks! Are you ready to go? Do you have the corsage?” Peter held up the box with the corsage and slipped into his dress shoes before heading out the door with you. He still seemed extremely stunned at how beautiful you looked and it only increased the feeling of giddiness in your stomach.

“Have fun at prom!” A lady on the street called towards you and Peter as you unlocked your car. Normally, you would’ve glared at her but today, you waved back at her and shouted, “Thank you!”

“Isn’t it so weird that I’m going to homecoming with the daughter of a villain that I captured? Imagine if I hadn’t caught him,” Peter chuckled as he buckled up his seatbelt and turned up the radio. You pressed down on the gas pedal and steered your way through New York traffic while lip-synching with the music blasting from your speakers. Peter belted out the lyrics to familiar songs and you couldn’t help but join in on the fun. The energy died down when you pulled up to Liz’s house and Peter shot you a nervous smile as he stepped out of the car.

You watched as he pressed the doorbell and waited for Liz to open the door. It was impossible to lie about how Liz looked; she looked spectacular in her simple red dress with her hair resting on her bare shoulders. Peter handed her the corsage and they walked arm in arm to the car, smiles on both their faces. He held open the door and allowed Liz to enter the car before joining her in the backseat.

“Okay, so I’m going to pick up Ned really quick before we can go to the dance, sound good?” Liz nodded and Peter did too, never taking his eyes off her. They had a casual conversation in the backseat, occasionally laughing every now and then while you focused on driving, your nails digging into the wheel as you tried not to eavesdrop. Ned was already waiting for you in front of his house and got into the shotgun, flashing you a sympathetic smile when he saw how close Liz and Peter were. Ned kept you occupied by rambling about some new Star Wars theory he read and you could not be more thankful that you arrived at the dance on time. You dropped Ned, Liz, and Peter off before parking your car.

To be honest, you didn’t know what to expect at the dance. You imagined it was going to be like other dances, except with a little less time laughing with Peter about everybody’s lame dance moves. Your guess wasn’t too far from what actually happened during the first half hour of the dance. You enjoyed yourself as you joined in with everybody, dancing to stupid pop songs and waving your arms in the air. It was until they announced the couples dance when the time of your life halted to a stop. Peter eagerly pulled Liz onto the dance floor and they laughed as he awkwardly placed a hand on her hip, pulling her closer. Just as you expected, Jayne came up to Ned and asked him to dance with her. With all your friends on the dance floor with somebody else, you couldn’t push down the feeling of loneliness any longer.

You only took one last look at Peter and Liz, swaying back and forth while their foreheads pressed together with Peter’s hands on Liz’s hips and her arms around his neck before you had to leave the room. It was too suffocating to watch the boy you were in love with for years falling in love with another girl and the cold air of the outside helped you relax. You sat on the bench under a tree, pulling your legs up to your chest and staring at the edge of your wedges.

“So, what are you doing here if you aren’t with the others at the dance?” Michelle walked up and sat next to you on the wooden bench, picking a leaf that drifted onto your shoulder. You didn’t know Michelle that well but you knew she cared a lot about human rights and hated everyone so it was a mystery to you as to why she decided to come over.

“Oh, I was at the dance. I just needed a little fresh air,” You offered her a small smile, hoping it would suffice her needs. Couldn’t Michelle make it more obvious she was just giving you pity?

“Ah, I feel you; crowds suck. But you know what sucks more? Bottling your feelings up so that when your crush goes to the dance with another girl, you just have to shove all your feelings for him aside to be his uber to get to the dance,” Michelle tilted her head, her curly ponytail bouncing as she did so. You tried your best not to gape at her with shock but probably ended up doing it anyway.

“What? No, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” You scoffed and turned away just as she placed a comforting hand on your shoulder.

“Yes you do, Y/N. I’ve seen the way you look at him. I know you have a crush on him and that it hurts to watch him with Liz, but c’mon, you’re wearing a beautiful dress and look amazing tonight, so don’t waste it just sitting out here, moping about a dumb guy,” Michelle offered you her hand and you placed your hand in hers, allowing her to help you stand. You couldn’t help but smile as you allowed yourself to hope again as she led you back to the dance.

It was still the couples dance and everybody was calmly twirling in circles while blushing and giggling with their crushes and Michelle pulled you onto the dance floor and wrapped her arms around your neck loosely, grinning as people began to look over with concerned glances.

“It’s a couples dance but we can still dance as friends. Or mutuals. Or whatever you want to call it. But seriously, you are an awesome person and you don’t need some stupid guy to take you to the dance,” Michelle’s words were surprisingly encouraging and she flashed a middle finger to Flash who was eyeing you both with disgust. Laughter bubbled up your throat and you smiled, enjoying yourself for once in your life without the help of Peter Parker, just like you deserved to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it’s hard to love somebody who’ll never love you back
> 
> (based on the broken hearts club song by gnash)

After the dance, Michelle and you grew close and Peter was getting a little jealous. Many people assumed you and Michelle were a pair now but Michelle wrecked anybody who remotely suggested that either of you needed somebody to depend on for love because according to her, “self-love is the most important love”.

Peter and Liz became an official couple a week after the dance so you got to see Liz kissing and holding hands with the boy you loved with every piece of your soul. The day that they announced their romantic relationship to the school was the day Michelle drew Peter and Liz on a piece of paper and watched as you cut up the paper into tiny pieces, crying your eyes out. She comforted you with ice cream and lectured you about independence and the uselessness of love in society, so basically giving you the tough love you needed.

Despite Peter being with Liz, he didn’t cancel Friday movie nights, even if he stopped studying with you after school. Friday movie nights were basically the only chance you got to talk with Peter as he and Ned now sat with Liz and her friends during lunch, leaving you to sit at a table with Michelle. He asked you about you and Michelle and you laughed at how envious he grew when he asked if he was being replaced by her. Peter was still the same Peter you knew three years ago and he didn’t take off his friendship bracelet yet so that was a positive sign, right?

It took you two weeks to get used to Peter and Liz being an item and by the time you could tell Peter that he and Liz were cute together out loud, you thought you were completely over him or at least accepting of the fact he’ll never love you back. That was until you met up with Liz to plan future practice sessions for the speech and debate team.

“You sure you don’t want to come to the march for women’s rights? I know you really would love to kick some ass with words!” Michelle smirked as she unzipped her backpack and took out a sign you both worked on yesterday.

“Nope, sorry. I’d love to but I can’t cancel on Liz. But yes to the next time!” You waved goodbye to your friend as you parted ways. You stood outside the door of your English teacher’s classroom where the speech and debate meets were held, waiting for Liz to walk out and sure enough, she sauntered out with her friends a few minutes later. She waved goodbye to her friends as she made her way to the classroom.

“Hey, you ready to plan a whole semester worth of practices, co-captain?” Liz tossed her hair over her shoulder as she stepped into the classroom with you. You laughed and replied in a cheerful voice, “Yep!”

You both managed to plan everything out in the span of thirty minutes, being more communicative than you expected. You could see why Peter would like her; she was caring and kind in addition to her above average looks. As you both were packing up your things, she brought up a completely unexpected question out of the blue.

“So, I’ve heard some rumors about you having a crush on Peter? I mean, I’m not attacking you for it or anything, I was just curious,” Liz glanced at you innocently and you almost dropped your backpack on your feet in shock. You never expected her to be this direct and it was a “deer caught in headlights” moment for you.

“O-oh, those are just silly rumors. People talk and blah blah blah, but if I actually did, I wouldn’t try to steal him from you or anything. That would be a total bitch move,” You awkwardly chuckled, hoping to cover up your surprise.

“Are you sure? I mean, you both have been best friends since forever…” Liz trailed off, glancing at you again to watch your reaction.

“Yep, I am a hundred percent sure. We were just friends. I have to go now,” You tossed your backpack over your shoulder and began walking out of the classroom, only pausing when you heard Liz apologize.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you or anything. I was just curious,” You turned around and offered her a sweet smile, hoping to seem calm and collected, not at all bothered by her accusations.

“It’s totally fine! See you around!” Your power-walk turned into a jog as you hurried to your car. The moment you sat in the driver’s seat, you broke down into tears. There wasn’t a specific reason for your crying, it was mostly just the realization that you weren’t over Peter yet, no matter how hard you tried to convince yourself otherwise. He was your best friend and you should be happy for him because the love of his life loved him back.

You finally drove home after your tears stopped falling down your cheeks. To comfort yourself, you listened to sad songs with headphones on while you stared out the window, watching cars pass by. Michelle knew that you’d been crying instantly when she saw you at school the next day. She launched into “mom-mode” and began asking you what happened, so you managed to explain yesterday’s events with a shaky voice as you tried to hold yourself together. Michelle insisted that you cut class with her to go enjoy yourself but you refused to skip school on the day of your French test.

The gloomy feeling followed you everywhere for the next week or so and even Ned noticed the absence of your joy from afar. Michelle did everything she could to cheer you up and you tried your best to keep your chin up for her sake. Peter didn’t notice how distant you acted until one night during one of the Friday movie nights.

“Hey Y/N, is everything okay? You’ve been acting sad lately,” Peter asked, turning his eyes away from the movie playing (he chose “The Maze Runner” this time) to look at your face. You wanted to just shrug it off but Peter being Peter wouldn’t leave you alone until he got answers.

“I have something to tell you. I, uh, I really like you and I’ve had a crush on you ever since like 7th grade. I just- I don’t know really what I’m feeling and all these feelings are really confusing. I fully support you being with Liz and I guess I’m just feeling kind of sad that we’re drifting apart as friends and argh- sorry I’m rambling,” All you wanted to tell him rushed out like waves crashing against a shore during a tsunami. There was a long, awkward silence and you bit your thumbnail, hoping that he’d laugh it off.

“Oh, well I’m sorry to disappoint you? I mean, I don’t really like you in that way so I…” Peter trailed off, at a loss for words. You gulped down your tears and you forced a smile, trying to ease the tension. You hadn’t planned to act on your impulses and since you did, you now had to pay the price.

“It’s all cool! I’m over it now, I just need some time. Friends?” Peter grinned back and nodded, pulling you into an awkward side hug. You held in your tears for the rest of the night and sure, it was kind of tense but Peter reacted better than you expected. You expected that he’d completely block you out but he was still willing to save your friendship.

After that night, you felt the weight lifted off your shoulders since you finally told him your biggest secret. It still hurt to see him with Liz but you managed to accept the fact that you were only going to be friends with him. You reconnected with him and gathered the courage to sit with him and Liz at lunch, dragging Michelle along with you for moral support. You showed your strength to others but you never told them how you secretly slipped into the broken hearts club, hoping to heal the scar he left on your heart.

"I’m the newest member of the broken hearts club  
We hate every little thing about the people that we love  
We’re the let-down, we’re the lied-to, where the lost go and it finds you  
Where the lonely make the lonely feel less lonely, and we’re dyin’ to  
Invite you to stay, and take away the pain  
‘Cause misery loves company, so hey, what do you say?"


	3. Chapter 3

“Nothing will happen, right? Promise me,” You sighed, impatiently crossing your arms as you waited for Peter to conclude the dialogue he and Liz only recited around you for the thousandth time.

“I promise. Okay, now go have some fun!” Peter kissed Liz one last time before she left the apartment. Once he closed the door, you launched into your usual fussy mood.

“C’mon Peter, you know what I’m going to say,” You fell backward onto the couch and glared at the black TV screen, waiting for him to recite your standard response to Liz’s insecurities.

“I know, I know, I know. ‘You could do so much better than her. Why do you put up with her?’ You already know the answer to that,” Peter sat down next to you, his eyes meeting yours, not showing any emotion in his expression. You had a harder reading his feelings ever since he had to start to push you away due to Liz’s complaints that you two were ‘too close for her liking’. He’d changed for her and seemed to genuinely love Liz, while she appeared to only want compliments and comfort from him.

“It’s not that simple.’ How much more complicated could it get? You either are both in love or not. She doesn’t have to keep asking you if you’re in love with her or not. Plus, I have the human decency to not hook up with a guy who already has a girlfriend,” You rolled your eyes, turning the TV on by clicking the green button on the remote. Even before Liz found out you were accepted into NYU, she consistently bugged Peter about the fact you came forward about your old crush on him (not that you were completely over him). Peter telling her about what his internship was really about didn’t satisfy her need for his trust.

“We do love each other. It’s just… you wouldn’t trust your significant other if they were hanging out with somebody who used to have a crush on them, would you?” Peter glanced at you curiously as the TV blared with the din of some comedic talk show.

“Yes, because if I truly love somebody, I would trust them. I hate to break it to you but she’s a hundred percent going to break up with you once college starts because she’s going to get too tired being insecure about whether she’s the love of your life or not. You have done literally everything you could’ve to prove your love and trust in her; yet, she still doesn’t believe you when you tell her you love her,” You knew you were waltzing straight into a minefield with the train of words spewing from your mouth but you wanted Peter to be treated better. Liz practically lost her mind when you announced that you had gotten accepted into NYU was evidence that she wasn’t fit for him. Of course, the first logical explanation for you applying to NYU was because you wanted to be with Peter, definitely not because you had worked your behind off to get into one of the top-ranked schools in the entire country.

“Liz and I have some figuring out to do, I guess. Can we just not talk about it right now?” Peter sighed as he grabbed the remote off the couch and switched the channel to a serene nature show.

“No, we need to talk about it right now. You always keep pushing me away and I know you probably think I’m just some jealous hoe who wants to steal you from Liz but Peter, I’ve been your best friend since forever. My feelings are completely irrelevant right now, and the only situation that matters is yours. You need to remember who you are without Liz. I’ve been trying to sugar-coat this but ever since Liz found out you were Spiderman, she’s been leeching off you. She doesn’t even care that you could die doing what you do! She used to actually care about you but now, she’s got Spiderman as a boyfriend and she only cares about Spiderman, not Peter Parker! And I hate that you’re letting her do that!” Your voice was slowly raising but you didn’t want to pretend everything was fine and play along with his ‘nothing’s wrong’ game. It had been a painful two months after homecoming, and both you and Ned had grown tired from watching from the wings, not stepping up to prevent the inevitable disaster on the path Peter was following.

“You know what? You don’t know what you’re talking about! I know that you want the best for me, but I think I determine what’s best for me,” Peter huffed and you grabbed the remote from his hands and shut off the TV.

“I’m not going to run away and use my usual ‘I need some space’ excuse. It’ll only result in you pretending to have forgotten about tonight and ignoring my questions until I stop asking and we move on and repeat the same motions over and over again. I’m tired of not being able to do anything! I don’t care if you hate my guts for what I’m saying but I’d rather see you be happy than pretend you’re fine!” You were on the verge of yelling, barely keeping your emotions intact. You stood up, crossing your arms to show that you weren’t going anywhere until you got answers.

“Please calm down, I promise I’ll think about it,” His words seemed to have a tone of sincerity to it so you reluctantly sat down next to him, blowing out a frustrated breath. Liz was really getting into your head which was exactly what she wanted. She probably wanted you to leave Peter for good and you were not planning to give her the satisfaction of proving her correct.

~

“You listened to her? How could you?” Liz dramatically screeched, her sharp, staccato voice ringing through the apartment. You could even hear from outside the door, and you froze with your hand halfway through the motion of knocking on the door when you heard Liz.

“Liz, I’ve been friends with Y/N since we were children and she would never want to bring harm to me. She isn’t trying to target you; she just wants to make sure everything is fine and I have to admit, she’s right. We haven’t been the same ever since you found out she got into NYU,” Peter sounded worn out as if he had been arguing non-stop for hours.

“Well, I have a good reason to be worried! Who knows what she’ll do to try to steal you from me?” Liz sounded desperate as if she was running out of reasons to back up why she had every right to accuse you of being the fault in their relationship.

“Are you even listening to what you’re saying right now? When did I exclusively belong to you? I might be dating you but that doesn’t mean you own me as a person! You’re so self-centered! I’m tired of you never taking the blame for anything and not understanding how hard it is to balance school, you, Y/N, and the Stark internship at the same time! I just need some space right now!” The silence that followed was too intense for you to handle and you couldn’t help but anxiously bite your lip and hope for the best.

“I’m leaving,” Liz obviously was trying to sound calm but her voice was shaking with uncontrolled anger. She opened the door and her mouth dropped open in surprise when she saw you. Liz pressed her lips together and brushed past you with ferocity.

You quickly stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind you. There was no hesitation in you hugging and comforting your best friend as he fell apart in your arms. The boy who was once the reason for you joining the broken hearts club now was joining you in the dismal club of people whose hearts were crushed into stardust.

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on tumblr[@luckysam78](https://luckysam78.tumblr.com/)!  
> here is [my peter parker x reader masterlist](https://luckysam78.tumblr.com/post/177107753741/peter-parker-x-readertom-holland-x-reader)


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